


Backs Against The Wall

by tehfanglyfish



Series: Fun With Ficlets [12]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Deviates From Canon, Dragonlord Merlin (Merlin), First Kiss, M/M, Merlin Saves the Day (Merlin), Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), The Author Regrets Nothing, The author is ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24549772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehfanglyfish/pseuds/tehfanglyfish
Summary: "They were cornered, pinned in, their backs against the wall.Merlin had been with Arthur through some close scrapes before, but this time was different.There was nowhere to run and the horde surrounding them was expanding by the minute, far too large for Arthur to fend off alone. There were no knights to help clear the way. They were on their own and there was only one avenue of escape remaining."
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Fun With Ficlets [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1371040
Comments: 19
Kudos: 483





	Backs Against The Wall

**Author's Note:**

> Not my characters, not my franchise, not generating any cash money for me.

They were cornered, pinned in, their backs against the wall.

Merlin had been with Arthur through some close scrapes before, but this time was different.

There was nowhere to run and the horde surrounding them was expanding by the minute, far too large for Arthur to fend off alone. There were no knights to help clear the way. They were on their own and there was only one avenue of escape remaining.

Merlin had long since accepted that the day would come when he would have to reveal himself to keep Arthur safe. Having it actually arrive still proved unsettling. Arthur lacked his father’s zeal for chasing down sorcerers, instead tolerating magic users rather than tormenting them. But for Arthur to discover that Merlin had lied to him all this time… well, it was too late to think about those consequences.

The throng was pushing closer, a sea of frantic bodies crashing against one another. If they were to avoid capture, Merlin would have to act now.

“Hold them off as long as you can,” he told Arthur. “I can get us out of here, but I’ll need a minute.”

Arthur gave him a questioning look, then turned his attention back to the onslaught.

Merlin took a deep breath, then issued the call, the ground shaking as his voice rang out.

“O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!”

“What the hell was that?” Arthur spun around, eyes wide.

“Look out!”

Merlin leapt in front of Arthur, blocking him before the outstretched hand could grab him. The man glared at Merlin, trying to push past him to get to Arthur.

“As I said, sire, my Jeanine is a fine young woman. She has the hips of her mother, who bore ten children. I think you’ll find she’s very buxom and…”

“Jeanine has nothing on my Gertrude, my lord,” a rival said, shoving the first man aside. “She can weave, play the lute, speaks three languages, and bakes the best…”

“Gertrude’s face is marred by the pox,” a third father yelled, elbowing the second hard in the ribs. “My Clarice has a fine complexion and her sweet roll recipe won first prize at…”

Where Clarice’s pastries won a prize would remain a mystery.

The bright sunlight disappeared, accompanied by a heavy wind. The villagers looked up, then screams erupted, the crowd scattering as Kilgharrah lowered himself in front of Merlin and Arthur.

“Come on,” Merlin said, hurrying toward the dragon.

“You’re missing a king, young warlock.”

Merlin turned to find Arthur rooted in place, staring at Kilgharrah.

“I’ll explain later,” Merlin said, grabbing Arthur by the hand, “but we have to go now. Gertrude’s mother doesn’t seem to have a fear of dragons.”

He gave a hard pull, dragging Arthur behind him. Kilgharrah crouched low so they could climb on his back, then took off, the flapping of his wings repelling Gertrude’s mother before she could reach the king.

It was a relief to be in the air, free from the crowd of villagers who were desperate to secure a royal match for their daughters. Merlin couldn’t blame them for trying. Only two weeks before, Arthur had made an official announcement that he would not be seeking any marriage offers from queens and princesses in neighboring kingdoms and would instead wed someone from Camelot who was not of the nobility.

A dangerous part of Merlin’s mind liked to imagine that Arthur had chosen that criteria for a marriage partner because he secretly wanted to marry Merlin. Of course that couldn’t be true, but there was no harm in imagining such things as he lay in bed at night, waiting to drift off to sleep.

The news had been well-received throughout the realm, though it had made it difficult for Arthur to leave the citadel without a full military escort to keep the throngs of opportunistic parents at bay.

As much as Merlin hated hunting, he’d tried to keep Arthur stalking animals rather than making a stop in the village they’d just escaped from, but Arthur had insisted.

“I must not hide from my people, Merlin. A good king can’t wall himself in.”

Now that Arthur was safe from the well-intentioned matchmakers and there was no chance of the hunt resuming, Merlin could relax, at least until they landed and there was no longer the loud roar of the wind rushing by to insulate him from whatever harsh words Arthur had waiting for him.

A thousand horrible scenarios played out in Merlin’s mind. How would he explain this? What would he do if Arthur refused to hear him out? What would he do if Arthur chose to send him away?

Merlin tried to stop those thoughts before he panicked.

It helped that Arthur had provided a distraction, wrapping his arms around Merlin’s waist, clinging to him as they flew through the air. There was a good chance Arthur would never speak to him again, much less hold him like this. Merlin decided to make the most of it, using Kilgharrah’s sharp turn toward Camelot as an excuse to lean back against Arthur. The strong arms encircling him held him tighter and Merlin’s stomach fluttered for reasons that had nothing to do with Kilgharrah’s flying.

Soon they reached their destination, Kilgharrah landing on a tower to let them climb down.

“Thank you, old friend,” Merlin said, patting Kilgharrah’s neck.

“Yes,” Arthur’s voice called, a little shaky but still strong. “Thank you. You saved me from a harrowing situation. Is there any way I can repay you?”

The dragon considered Arthur’s question.

“Take care of your warlock,” he finally answered, “just as he’s taken care of you.”

Then Kilgharrah flapped his wings and left them alone on the tower.

“Arthur, I-”

He still hadn’t figured out what he was going to say when Arthur shoved him up against the battlement, cutting him off with a hard kiss. Over the years Merlin had imagined the ways Arthur would react to his magic. Never in his wildest dreams had he guessed it would involve being kissed senseless.

Being wrong has its advantages, Merlin decided as Arthur did something spectacular with his tongue. Then he stopped thinking, trying to match Arthur’s intensity as he kissed him back.

How long they stayed like that, Merlin couldn’t entirely say. It was possible that the knights made an appearance, anticipating a dragon but instead finding Merlin and Arthur locked in a tight embrace.

“We’ll leave you to it,” Merlin heard Gwaine call as he led the stunned knights back inside the castle.

Despite the interruption, Arthur refused to let him go. They would have to talk and that conversation would likely be less than easy. But it could keep. For now there was a more pressing matter that needed their attention.


End file.
